Edit, thought that was the FT

Deaths now to be recorded as CV when symptoms are unconfirmed.

Merak
Member
Deaths now to be recorded as CV when symptoms are unconfirmed.

Dr colleague was talking about this

Tests in such shirt supply, can’t be wasted , so if someone dies of what they’re pretty sure is covid, they won’t waste a test on them.
(Also test not 100% accurate so sometimes have to test twice, again wasted on dead person)

Feb 18th I woke up with a weird dry cough. Felt like I was getting a cold. Went to work and in the space of 5-6 hours began to feel properly grade A awful. Very tired, really aching, very hot. Got home and isolated myself in spare room with bathroom. Temp was already 39.5 and gradually went up to 40.7 for 24h, was odd as while I felt truly terrible my chest started to get really bad. By the Thursday PM I was very wheezy and struggling to breath albeit not to the extent I needed help-coughing was starting to ramp up. The fri was still 39 and chest awful, gasping for air a bit and coughing fits so sore I wanted to lie down and die. First time vertical was the Sunday and the whole next week my cough was horrible, dry and sore but incessant. Breathing was bad and I had to have a break halfway up the stairs. Took another week to start to rally. So that was 6 weeks ago and I’m still not right. I didn’t get tested as I was not in China or Italy and it was all a bit early. I had been travelling heaps the few weeks before so assumed flu but perhaps not.

Parents flew back from Spain the day it locked down.

Dad spent the last 2 weeks in bed due to being very tired, no temperature/cough/aching. He did however briefly lose his sense of taste. He hadn’t eaten and was extremely dehydrated, mum phoning me asking me to help, explaining to her that he may have C19, ring the NHS and I need to stay away for sake of my own family was not a nice experience.

Mum finally got through to NHS help line and was advised to take him to hospital.

dad has spent 4 days in hospital on a drip to rehydrate and antibiotics and was allowed home Yesterday. Mum picked him up. He got his test results today confirming he had mild symptoms of the virus.

Mum(70) is now self isolating in the same house as dad.

Fingers crossed all goes well.

My stepdad’s just died of it. 63 and with underlying complaints. He and my mum have both had a heavy cold for a few days, he’s been coughing a lot since the start of the week, eventually bad enough for mum to ring 999 yesterday lunchtime. In-between needing 02 he was by all accounts laughing and flirting with the nurses until they found him dead tonight. My mum’s in pieces, a county away from any family and now has to quarantine for a week. She’s got a lock of his hair in a bag she can’t open for a week either.

My wife was horribly ill with all the symptoms last week, and I isolated the week before as I had what felt like a dose of the lurgy (nowhere near as brutal as my wife’s version) so I’m going over to stay with my mum as soon as my current isolation’s done, as if she shouldn’t be alone whether she gets it or not.

This virus is horrible, it’s killing people I love and I can’t go on a drinking binge to soften it.

And tomorrow I get to break the news to my stepsons.

(Long time lurker, hi everyone)

That’s terrible news spud face. Thoughts with you and the family this weekend.

That’s an side issue that’s not highlighted enough. For those that loose someone have to isolate at a time when you need company the most.

Look after yourself Spudface – sorry about your loss.

Really sorry to hear the Spud Face, look after yourself please, stay strong.

Condolences for you & your family. I pray the rest of your family remain in good health and especially your mum at this time.

Sorry for your loss spud-face. Look after yourself and your family.

Take care everyone. It’s pretty clear that despite the lockdown, there’s a lot of this thing about.

Thanks folks. There’s been a lot of tears down phonelines this morning. I wish I could give my mum a hug.
Stay safe everyone.

Sry to hear that.

Thoughts with you and yours spud-face.

Sorry for your loss spud-face

I’m at coming up to two weeks of the shortness of breath / tight chest and what’s weird is at times I feel fine on myself but have the breath shortness, at other times I’ll suddenly get ‘ill’ (hot, rosy cheeked, heart rate rises, skin kind of crawling, chest aches and pains, feel rough and odd) and as soon as that happens, I can breathe big full breaths again. Then later I feel ok again but the tight chest comes back.

Really odd. So I’m wondering if that’s all my immune system being weird. T1red, any thoughts? Seeing as it’s been 3 weeks altogether I imagine I’ve dodged the lung failure response, but I’d like it to bugger off now! Hope I can fight it off this week.

Same worries ^ as you @vicksplace.
Started with fever, cough and banging headache Thursday eve/Friday. Now have minor headache each morning but my concern is shortness of breath and slight tightness across chest. Worried as I have asthma. Funnily worst is if I bend over to pick something up. I’d like to know how long I can expect tight chest etc to last, but presume everybody is different.

@Clink – one thing I did was buy an oxygen saturation tester for peace of mind. 20 quid from Argos next day delivery. So I know I’m OK and not to panic.

A colleague with pretty bad asthma has just recovered and is back at work after just over three weeks (pretty sick for 2, resting for the last week) so try not to worry!

@Clink – one thing I did was buy an oxygen saturation tester for peace of mind. 20 quid from Argos next day delivery. So I know I’m OK and not to panic.

A colleague with pretty bad asthma has just recovered and is back at work after just over three weeks (pretty sick for 2, resting for the last week) so try not to worry!

Cheers that’s really helpful!

But nobody has any in stock!! 🤯

But nobody has any in stock!! 🤯

I think eBay has some, just search for ‘oximeter’.

Press your nail. Release, less then 2 seconds to pink up? You are OK. More? Lie on the bed and conciously breath harder. Below 94% is not a great place- confusion and blurred vision. I looked for one and found one. It came with home delivery by an operative in a hazmat suit, and his van. It was nice of them to check me out at home. I wasn’t admitted. A BP monitor is useful too.

Doctor here. A good guide to how to measure shortness of breath is the number of breaths you are having to take in a minute. Normal breathing is around 12. When unwell with Covid-19 or other respiratory illness’ this might go up to 15 or even 18 but once it’s getting to the 18-20 mark I would call your gp or if you just feel awful simply call 999. There are lots of secondary effects of Covid-19 including myocarditis as well as pneumonia so it is important to speak to a medical professional if you have any very concerning symptoms. The most important thing is not to wait until your symptoms become too severe as earlier intervention usually means better outcome.

Thanks speedster. Mines about 14 per min. If things get worse I’ll call someone. Not sure there is anything they can do unless you need o2. Given clean bill of health last weekend at a&e and I don’t feel particularly worse, just not better. So don’t want to call them if not necessary..

Sorry to hear that Spud Face. Really sad.

Vicksplace these are the kind of metrics they would use to evaluate you’re status. And to some degree you are right about oxygen being the only support at least in the less severe stages of illness. Most people will have some chest tightness and shortness of breath with Covid and it’s very difficult for non-medical people to evaluate what is more serious than not so I would say to anyone who is experiencing symptoms that really concern them not to sit on them but ask for advice. You may gain some reassurance which can be just as helpful.

As there been any development on the anosmia front? I haven’t smelled or tasted anything for ten days now, otherwise I feel pretty fine, bit of a cold, bit of a cough, get out of breath if I do anything but otherwise fine. I can’t WAIT to have a cup of tea I can taste…

Pondo, Most people appear to regain a sense of smell and taste by around 14 days so hang in there!

Brillo, cheers. 🙂

@speedster thanks that’s good advice for us all, cheers.

@speedster thanks that’s good advice for us all, cheers.

+1. Useful posts, thanks @speedster.

Sorry to hear of your loss spud face. Sending virtual hugs to you and yours.

Don’t think I’ve actually got symptoms but it’s weird how stuff that wouldn’t normally bother you plays on your mind now. For the last two weeks or so I’ve been coughing a bit after cycling and have felt ‘warm’ that evening (I’m usually a bit phlegmy after a ride anyway). The coughing usually disappears by the afternoon of the next day and is throaty rather than chesty. Have not struggled with breathing while riding and my resting HR has been stable over this time period.

Chest doesn’t really feel tight, but every now and then I become really aware of my breathing (but that could just be psychosomatic I guess).

Would a very mild case of symptoms persist over this two week period and only show up when my system has been ‘stressed’ through exercise?

You could be allergic to tree pollen, colournoise. We’re in peak suffering time for many people with allergies right now. I avoid exercise except really early in the morning at this time of year.

@colournoise it could be hayfever.
I am suffering from it this weekend, its odd though as eyes are fine but nose, chest a bit tight and slightly wheezy.
doing my usual time for a 5k so figuring it isn’t covid

Yeah. Realised when it first happened a couple of weeks ago I hadn’t started my Hay Fever medication yet this year. On that now but it hasn’t really subsided. I have been riding afternoons rather than mornings too since ‘lockdown’.

Have to wait and see I guess.

Seems this could be a rollercoaster.

This is turning into an unpleasant few days. Felt progressively back to normal Monday through Friday last week. Friday evening did the bi-weekly Zwift trundle – left me feeling pummelled with a bit of pins and needles in the hands for the last km. Legs feeling weaker than usually in the thighs. Developed that pre-cold / flu nasal tingle spent the last couple of days mostly feeling achey. Been out for todays walk – again no energy and pins and needles when I started to walk up the hill. Legs Did TiRed’s nail test thing – flushes up fast.

Either it drags on enough to cause a bit of a relapse if you push too much. Or I’m cack handed enough to catch a cold – it was three days since I was in the local super market. This would be some achievement with the amount of hand washing, gel, food wipe down and isolating cans / jars before putting that I do. Randomly started feeling better yesterday afternoon – like it was a 48hr thing. Then back to marginal this morning.

Mentally it was a bit of a kicking on Saturday as I had done the week thinking – ok, weekend, garden pottering. Slow and steady. Now I feel I’m further back than two weeks ago.

Anyway that’s the observations, hopefully someone finds it useful. The key thing is moderation and managing expectations. Which given I didn’t feel I had particularly bad symptoms is a bit of a shock. I’m now on week four since the first symptoms on the virus bingo started.

Mentally it was a bit of a kicking on Saturday as I had done the week thinking – ok, weekend, garden pottering. Slow and steady. Now I feel I’m further back than two weeks ago.

I’m having a similar sort of experience. I can feel quite okay in the morning, then get proper flu-like symptoms in the afternoon, then feel better again. I definitely still have some underlying shit going on, so I’m resting up and binge-watching Money Heist, ‘discussing things’ with people on the interweb and staying hydrated, well fed.

Looking back at my training records / HRV data / events, I’m pretty sure I had it very mildly then a weekend of riding knocked me right over and I’ve spent the last two weeks getting over it with a few really unpleasant, quite frightening days. Now I mostly just feel really tired.

I’m not sure there’s much stuff out there on post-Covid recovery – have a look at my mate’s blog post – which I posted earlier, but I’d back right off, be really cautious for a week or so and give your body a chance to recuperate. I found even quite low levels of activity like chatting to neighbours over the garden wall or hanging up washing, can absolutely floor me at the moment.

It’s quite frustrating, but it’s better to back of now than push yourself into some sort of post-viral fatigue thing.

OldagePredator, sorry to hear about your symptoms. I think it’s important to emphasise these illnesses cause a lot of inflammatory damage including to your muscles and they will have taken a kicking as will your cardiovascular system. I would think that will take several weeks to resolve and you would be best served by doing very mild exercise initially and working up to higher HR stuff over the next few weeks. Definitely listen to your body right now.

Still a bit coughy this morning, but it’s an occasional, single or double cough that feels quite throaty – doesn’t match the NHS site symptom description at all. Also feel very bunged up despite Hay Fever medication.

Hopefully I’ve just picked up a cold and that’s compounding my normal Hay Fever issues…